The Spectacular “Born in Riga” Concert Coming up Soon

The European Capital of Culture concert “Born in Riga” on the 6th of July will bring together international music stars who all hail from Riga and will perform on a special open-air stage near the Latvian National Opera.

The “Born in Riga” concert will present “an unbelievable assembly of artists, it is truly a very special occasion when stars of such calibre perform together,” says tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko, inviting all who love music to be at the Opera Square in the evening of the 6th of July.

“The concert will be one of the most memorable musical events in the European Capital of Culture to be witnessed by the Riga public and broadcast live on television for music aficionados in Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany, Andorra, Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Finland, Lithuania and Estonia. The concert will be aired live by the prestigious culture channel ARTE in co-operation with the Latvian Television, and it will become a calling card for Riga and musicians from all over Latvia,” emphasises Diāna Čivle, the Head of the “Riga 2014” Foundation.

The concert will feature opera singers Maija Kovaļevska, Inese Galante, Aleksandrs Antoņenko, Egils Siliņš, cellist Mischa Maisky, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, violinist Baiba Skride, organist Iveta Apkalna, pianist Vestards Šimkus, composer Raimonds Pauls, the young and talented violinist Daniils Bulajevs, and kokle player Laima Jansone as well as the Latvian Radio Choir, State Choir “Latvija” and conductor Māris Sirmais, chamber orchestra “Kremerata Baltica”, and an orchestra set up specifically for the “Born in Riga” project, comprised of the best orchestra musicians in Latvia and beyond, which will be conducted by Andris Poga and Māris Sirmais.

The idea of the “Born in Riga” concert was proposed by Daina Markova. Stage director - Dāvis Sīmanis, set design by Aigars Ozoliņš.

The “Born in Riga” concert programme features a broad variety of music and performances by some the most brilliant musicians of Latvia, presenting the most popular compositions created in Riga and the most famous musicians who come from Riga – folklore, choir and symphony music, virtuoso instrumentalists and outstanding opera stars. The concert programme includes compositions by Richard Wagner, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Artūrs Maskats, Georgs Pelēcis and many other prominent composers from Latvia and other countries.

The Latvian Television will be in charge of broadcasting the concert across several countries in Europe, whereas Peter Maniura from the BBC will oversee the concert as a multi-camera director.

“Ekselence”, which stands for the values of the contemporary Latvian cuisine, is the official ice cream of the concert “Born in Riga”, treating all visitors to the event with excellent ice-cream desserts.

Tickets to the 6th of July concert cost EUR 10 to EUR 100 at the moment, the tickets are available from “Biļešu serviss” outlets and the “Riga 2014” culture chalet “Esplanade 2014”.

Another supporter of the concert, the confectionery “Laima” wishes the concert to bring the world the best cultural values of Latvia, and considers it an opportunity for the performers to feel once again that they are part of Latvia, and for the audience to realise the richness of the culture of Latvia.

Whereas ERGO, the official insurer of the European Capital of Culture events, provides event cancellation insurance for the “Born in Riga” concert. This is a novelty for Latvia, and is meant to ensure that the concert goers, performers and organisers may feel safe for their investment and contribution, and enjoy the occasion without worrying about bad weather or any other disturbances.

“Audi” and “Volkswagen”, the official cars of “Riga 2014”, will provide transport services for the musicians.

“Lattelecom”, the official partner of the “Riga 2014” Programme, ensures technological support for the “Riga 2014” events, including free WiFi. The technologies offered by “Lattelecom” make it possible to bring cultural values to the general public and to involve everyone in the unique cultural life of the city. There are almost 1,000 free WiFi zones in Riga, making the city Europe’s free WiFi capital.

The European Capital of Culture Programme of Riga is prepared and run by the foundation “Riga 2014” in collaboration with state, municipal and non-governmental cultural organisations and creative associations. The Programme is financed by the Riga City Council, Ministry of Culture and the European Commission.